This invention relates to hose retractors and more specifically to apparatus for stowing and retrieving a hose or line, for example, of the type used in dispensing fuel at service stations.
Conventional hose retractors have been in use for many years and usually comprise a hollow, 7 -foot vertical aluminum standard and a roller housing bolted or welded to the top of the standard. The roller housing is usually made of cast aluminum has a single roller permanently mounted therein for guiding the retrieving cable, and extends at right angles to the axis of the standard.
The cable extends up through the standard through the an opening in the bottom of the housing, along the guide roller and out an exit port located in the bottom of the housing. The external end of the cable connects to the hose mid-length and the internal portion runs down the standard, around a pulley connected to a 20 pound weight with the cable internal end connected to the standard. Thus the weight rides vertically within the standard in response to the tension on the cable.
During use, the operator pulls the hose to place the nozzle at a desired location thus applying tension on the cable external end. The cable pays out thus raising the weight inside the standard. After use, the operator relieves tension on the hose to replace the dispenser in its stowed position. The weight draws the cable back into the retractor, which, in turn, retracts the hose mid-length to its stowed position.
Although the orientation of the housing on some models is fixed relative to the standard, other models include a bearing mounted retriever designed to rotate 360.degree. degrees in the horizontal plane at the top of the stationary standard. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,872,142 and Des. 321,469.
Conventional retractors experience several problems. For example, the guide roller in the housing eventually wear or otherwise become defective requiring the housing or the entire retractor to be discarded and replaced by a new unit. In addition, because of the length of the housing, i.e. slightly longer than the size of the single guide roller, the housing is relatively short such that the housing can not hold the cord significantly away from the vertical axis of the standard. Also, the standard and the housing are usually made of different materials, separately machined and connected by welding or bolting. These procedures require many steps and add to the over-all costs of the retractor.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a retractor that avoids the foregoing problems and provides other and further advantages and benefits more fully understood from the following descriptions.